Lens identification

Can you please help me identify these big, old piece of metal? Please see the attached picture.

It comes in three parts that can be connected by threads and it's made of brass. The front lens has "Akt. Ges. Periskop 'Alpha' 1:11 Ica" written on it.

To me it looks like an old periscope lens, probably slightly modified (the thread on the front part looks modern).

What is this thing worth? I mean both monetary value and usefulness (practical application in an LF camera).

Any help would be highly appreciated.

fencer said:

The front lens has "Akt. Ges. Periskop 'Alpha' 1:11 Ica" written on it.

Click to expand...

To make sense it should be read as "Ica Akt.Ges. - Periscop 'Alpa' 1:11"


Lenses of this name are found at MF ICA flat-bed cameras.
But your lens seems different.

You may well be right - I haven't seen it yet. Only have the description I cited and the picture.
But still, the Periscops I can google out look different - they have no brass tube.

From A lens Collector Vade Mecum:
I.C.A. A.G., Germany
They can be regarded as an initial stage in the mergers which finally resulted in Zeiss Ikon, being formed from
Huttig and other companies in 1909. Thus they used lens names derived from these source, but probably
mainly relied on bought in lenses......There was a proprietary ICA Periscop in foci 15-65cm, probably a casket set.

Hüttig, R., A.G. Dresden, Germany.
The firm was later absorbed into I.C.A., and were camera makers, probably naming bought-in lenses. Some of
their trade names were so valued that they were continued by Zeiss or Zeiss Ikon after the amalgamation, as
in Novar.

Early items.
Periscop f9.0 A 135mm was used in 1900 on a 9x12 standard plate camera.

the front lens is from a low budget camera http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Sirene (at the end of the page), the rest could be custom made.

the word "periscop" might in this case not mean the optical instrument that you know, it has perhaps been taken more from the first (greek) meaning of the word: to look around.